Homeopathic remedies in their final products come in liquids, creams, gels, pellets, or tablet form.
Tablets Vs. Pellets
Traditionally, we do not touch remedies in pellet form. A remedy in pellet form was sprayed on the outside by the medicating substance, and this active substance could easily be rubbed off the pellet, rendering it useless.
Remedies in tablet form, on the other hand, can be touched. The tablet was impacted with the medicating substance, which therefore won’t be easily rubbed off.
The tablet forms of remedies may have some advantages. Besides being touchable, they are usually made of lactose (milk sugar) and softer than the pellets. Babies and infants seem to do better with the tablets because they seem to melt almost immediately when taken by mouth. However, if the tablet form of a necessary remedy is not available, pellet remedies can be crushed or mixed into water and even dissolved into a baby’s bottle.
My favorite recommendations for parents administering remedies to breastfeeding infants is to have Mom take the remedy herself. The remedy’s effects will come through Mom’s breast milk to her nursing infant.
Creams and Gels
We obviously touch creams and gels, which are used for local application on the exterior. Creams and gels can be in lower potencies (usually just a 1X) and therefore do contain some of the original crude substance, unlike most homeopathic remedies for internal use. Therefore, the homeopathic creams and gels are not recommended for internal use (Don’t eat them). Their effects usually last from 2 to 4 hours and then need to be re-applied.
Be extra careful to keep your creams and gels out of the reach of children. Although still unlikely to be toxic if eaten, it’s best not to take a chance.
Using creams and gels with a wound or open sore. I always prefer to not put creams or gels directly on an open wound at first. (Never put Arnica on an open wound.) All people are different, and we never know if an individual would be sensitive to any substance which might be used as the base material of the cream or gel. Putting some next to the area first as a test to see if the skin is irritated can prevent an unwanted reaction if we put it directly on the open sore. Also many times the homeopathic cream or gel will provide comfort to the wound just by being spread around–and not directly upon–the open sore. Calendula oil in particular is a great wound or open sore remedy, and has been successfully used many times for hundreds of years. Even with Calendula thought, I would first recommend a test around the area of injury.
Some of the best creams with the most natural ingredients in the base will sting when used on a rash or open sore. Petroleum based creams, don’t sting but then we have to be willing to allow the toxicity of a petroleum product on our skin. Babies don’t like the sting when using Calendula for diaper rash in a natural cream base, but are happy with the petroleum base.
Liquid Remedies
Liquid remedies are usually administered by your homeopathic practitioner. There are various dilutions and ways to administer liquid remedies, making them ideal for hypersensitive people and/or situations which require a very precise approach. Directions for their use would best come directly from your homeopath.
Basic Instructions
Liquids, pellets, and tablets are taken orally, and preferably under the tongue.
Remedies are taken with nothing in the mouth so that there is nothing to interfere with the minute dose.
Remedies are best taken on a clean palate . Remedies may be taken up to 15 minutes prior to eating or drinking, and at least 15 minutes or more after eating or drinking.
When taking only a single dose of a remedy recommended by your homeopathic practitioner, I would recommend waiting at least an hour before and after eating and drinking if possible.
It is important to wait one hour minimum before or after brushing the teeth.
Food does not always antidote remedies. We’re not always too concerned with antidoting remedies with food, especially if someone is going through an acute discomfort. Sometimes we just need to get the remedy in immediately, and waiting for a time where we can avoid the intake of food or water may over-complicate matters.
With pets, most often we put their remedies into their food or water and it seems to work just fine. Most my clients will ask me for liquid remedies for their pets.
Please don’t be too rigid with the rules. Sometimes we need to compensate because the remedies are extremely diluted–which makes them extremely safe, but also more sensitive.
Homeopathic Dosing
One of the biggest questions for people when they first start using the remedies is “how much, and how often do we take the remedies?”
When using combination remedies, it is recommended to follow the directions written on the bottle.
When using single remedies, the label directions are written just for legal packaging purposes and will most likely have nothing to do with the situation you are going through.
Let’s go over single remedy dosing for clarity
There is no single rule about homeopathic dosing. Generally, the amount of pellets or tablets is 4 to 6 at each dosing for adults (just one or two pellets for infants and small children to begin with).
Whether one pill is taken or the entire bottle at one shot, it is considered as a single dose. Repetition is usually considered more important than the amount of pellets or drops. However, both repetition and the amount of pellets or drops can be used to find the most effective dosage by trial and error.
Dosage is determined by the response of the individual.
Listening to our bodies is not what we are taught normally, so this might take some practice for most of us. I recommend we learn to listen by feeling our response, then increasing or decreasing the dosage or frequency according to what we feel.
Example: when my young daughter would get a sudden high fever with a flushed red face and be so hot to the touch it was uncomfortable to be near her, Belladonna would be the remedy that would come to my mind. To help her get the fever down quickly I would repeat the remedy every 10 to 15 minutes as well as give her a lukewarm bath. As the fever would decrease, so would my repetitions of belladonna.
High fevers (103 or above) can be life and brain threatening, so consult your healthcare practitioner, especially if you can’t get it under control in a short period of time. One of the biggest problems with fevers is dehydration, so if a child refuses to drink, or can’t retain the fluids, get emergency medical help.
Generally, the repetition of the dose depends on the severity of the person’s distress. The more distressed the person is, the more frequent the dose. As the person feels better, the dose is repeated with less frequency.
We try not to interfere with the action of the previous dose if symptoms are improving steadily. The most important thing to remember is to put some time in between repeating the remedy doses, and this varies according to the intensity of symptoms or need of the individual. I don’t usually give remedies closer than 15 minutes apart. It takes 15 to 20 minutes for a 30 potency remedy to have a response. It takes about 5 minutes less usually for a higher potency remedy to have a response.
In an acute situation, as in the example above, within 15 minutes to an hour the remedy should be helping. If it isn’t helping after an hour, then changing the remedy might be a good idea. This is a good time to go back to a book and re-look at all the symptoms (physical, emotional, and mental) to see what remedy matches the closest to the symptoms being experienced.
Changing a Remedy
It is okay to change remedies after giving the remedy sufficient time to work.
Determining when to change a remedy because it may not be working takes practice to discern.
When symptoms are not as distressing as in the example above, then it might take an entire day of steady repetition to see if the remedy is going to help make an improvement, so waiting might be preferable.
It’s a little confusing in the beginning as to when or whether or not to change a remedy selected, but with practice, especially at listening to our bodies as our guides, it gets a lot easier.
Many times a distressed person will fall asleep quickly after receiving the correct remedy because it has reduced or taken away their anxiety. The remedy should not be changed at these moments, and good results should be expected to follow.
Remember, a good book that helps with remedy selection is indispensable. Selecting an appropriate remedy is a lot more important than knowing how often to give it.
***Please use common sense, don’t let any situation become life or limb threatening. If you aren’t sure, then err on the side of caution; get help to be safe.***
You are responsible for your health–especially if you use any information contained in this website!
Emergency medicine is sometimes necessary, as long as you deal with your healing once the emergency is handled. As a non-medical homeopath, I am not allowed to use emergency medical techniques because of a medical monopoly, so I am not trained in these, and don’t have the equipment. Calling 911 first in these situations, can be life saving.
However, personally, I would be taking a remedy on the way to the emergency room.
There is nothing like homeopathic remedies to help us heal when we need it.
Enjoy your adventure on your path to healing safely!